Airplane de-icing apparatus



June 19, 1956 P. FELTMAN, JR

AIRPLANE DE-ICING APPARATUS 1% a 2 9 m y s Q Q t a 2 & h s Q 2 ow kn R. R mm U II 0 lltlFl o 3 3 2. o 2 w w o n 0 N 3. F. O O O i- 4 1 On. I! c 1/, e D w l INVENTOR JOHN P. FELTMAN, JR.

ATTORNEY June 19, 1956 .1 P. FELTMAN, JR

AIRPLANE DE-ICING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 3, 1954 nws/v 70%? JOHN R FEL TMA N, JR.

mpflm/ ATTORNEY United States Patent AIRPLANE DE-ICING APPARATUS John P. Feltman, In, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application December 3, 1954, Serial N 0. 472,937

1 Claim. (Cl. 244-134) This invention has reference to an apparatus for deicing airplanes of the turbojet propelled type which are in use principally by the armed forces.

Heretofore, the de-icing of airplanes of the type above mentioned, was generally effected by the use of ordinary, cumbersome kerosene heaters which have been found to be utterly inadequate, ineflicient, costly and requiring too much time. It has been found that planes to be de-iced in that manner could not possibly be made ready soon enough in the advent of an alert to intercept an enemy plane before an attack by that plane.

The object of the present invention resides in the provision of an apparatus whereby the de-icing of airplanes of the turbojet propelled type, for example, may be deiced in a practical and economical manner and in a minimum of time by making use of the heat generated by the exhaust gas of the engine.

In the present apparatus, the exhaust gas enters into a conduit of metallic material, having at one end a funnel which may be placed in the exhaust stream of the turbojet at a distance dependent upon the temperature of the atmosphere and that of the exhaust gas to be directed toward the other end of the conduit, the latter dividing at this point into branches in the manner of letter Y. These branches are fitted with manually operable damper devices provided for controlling the flow of the exhaust gas through flexible tubings connected to these branches, and which are in turn fitted at their free ends with nozzle shaped member, the latter being provided with means for indicating the temperature of the gas-air mixture passing therein, and with conveniently disposed handles for assisting in directing the hot gas against the parts of the plane to be de-iced.

Other novel features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description and by the claims appended thereto, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of the de-icing apparatus of the invention, showing the flexible tubings disconnected from the branches of the metallic conduits, while the funnel portion of the latter is shown facing the stream of the exhausted gas emanating from the engine,

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation view of Fig. 1, showing the manner of adjusting the height of the funnel relative to the height of a particular airplane to be de-iced, and

Fig. 3 is a top view showing the heat indicators mounted on the nozzles, and the flexible tubings shown with portions cut away.

In the drawing, as best seen in Fig. 1, a base is formed of a tubing 10, which may be of any required length, supported by four legs 11-12 and 13-14, having one of their ends welded to reenforced sleeves 15-16 and 17-18 respectively. To one end of tubing is welded a sleeve 19 serving for reenforcing an upright member 20 on which is telescopically mounted a sleeve 21, the upright member 20 and the sleeve 21, being provided with cooperating latch elements 22, 23, defined by drilled holes 8 and 9, of a size corresponding to that of a plug 24, which may be engaged into two registering holes, as 8 and 9 for example, for locking the sleeve 21 in adjusted elevated position within the range of the spaced holes.

To the sleeve 21 are welded the clamping strips 25 and 26 serving for securing a metallic conduit 27 to the sleeve 21 by means of bolts 28 and 29, and to the upper disposed end of conduit 27 is fitted one end of an elbow pipe like piece 30, the other end of which is provided with an inlet element in the form of a funnel piece 54, adapted to be oriented toward the stream of the exhausted gas from the turbojet of the airplane to be de-iced. In the present construction the height of the funnel 54, from the ground, has been found to vary from 54 to 72 inches, depending upon the type of the aircraft.

To the lower disposed end of conduit 27 is fitted an elbow pipe like piece 31, of metallic material, which, in turn, has one end fitted to a relatively short length of conduit 32, also of metallic material, such as aluminium, dividing at its other end into two branches 33 and 34, in the manner of the letter Y, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the assembly thus formed being held in proper relation by a reenforcing turnbuckle rod 55, having one end secured by bolt 29 to the strip 26, and its other end secured to a collar 56, itself secured to conduit section 32 by bolt 57.

Each branch, 33 and 34, is provided with a damper device 50 and 51 interiorly thereof, consisting of a pivoted disc 50 and 51 operated by the handles 52 and 53, while collars 35 and 36, best seen in Figs. 1 and 2, are provided with radially disposed studs, as 37, cooperating with grooves, as 60, formed in collars 38 and 39, for engagement with each other in the manner of bayonet locks for connecting one of the ends of the two flexible tubings 40 and 41 to the conduits forming the branches 34 and 34, the flexible tubings being constructed of metallic material of the bellows type, woven wires or of a fire resistant material such as asbestos or any ordinary materal fire proof treated.

The flexible tubing sections 40 and 41, Fig. 3 which are of the order of 6 inches in diameter and approximately 50 feet long, are fitted at their free ends with nozzle pieces 42 and 43, each provided with a wheel shaped handle 44 and 45 and a gage 46 and 47, for indicating the temperature of the gas-air mixture passing through the nozzle 42 and 43, upon the opening of the damper devices 50 and 51, either singly or simultaneously as the case may be.

In an actual de-icing operation of an airplane of the turbojet propelled type, the funnel 52, as above mentioned, is placed facing the exhaust stream at a distance which will maintain a temperature of approximately Fahrenheit at the nozzles, as indicated by the gages 46 and 47, such distance has been found generally to be approximately 15 feet from the exhaust outlet E0 of the plane's engine.

It has also been found that the heat of the exhaust gas, which has been mixed with a considerable volume of air, enters the funnel at a temperature of approximately 230 Fahrenheit and is further cooled in its passage through the elbow piece 30, the conduit 27, the elbow 31, the length of conduit 32 and its branches 33 and 34, and finally through the flexible tubings 40 and 41, to leave the nozzles 46 and 47 at the temperature above mentioned, that is approximately 125 Fahrenheit, indicated by the gages 46 and 47, having their heat responsive element directly in the stream of the air-gas mixture passing through the nozzles to be directed against the parts of the airplane to be de-iced.

What I claim is:

The method of de-icing an airplane of the turbojet propelled type, said method consisting in capturing gas from the exhaust outlet of the engine at a given distance therefrom for introducing a quantity of air in the gas to lower the temperature of the latter, and directing the flow 3 4 of such air-gas mixture toward the elements of the plane 2,410,330 Ashenfelter Oct. 29, 1946 to be de-iced at a predetermined temperature. 2,410,353 McCoilum Oct, 29, 1946 2,464,165 Williams Mar. 8, 1949 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,572,00 u k 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2.674,335 Lemmerman Apr. 6, 1954 2,038,701 Anderson Apr. 28, 1936 

